The present invention relates to a game apparatus, a game machine manipulation device, a game system, and an interactive communication method for a game apparatus, for example, which are suitably applied for the case in which any of various game machine manipulation devices are connected to a game apparatus so as to produce an appropriate presence in response to a particular signal from a game machine main body for reproducing a video recording medium.
Conventionally, there has been a game system which reproduces information on a game from a video recording medium in response to user""s manipulation on a controller to progress the game.
Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, in this game system GS, a game machine main body 27 contains a CD-ROM driver having a function of reproducing data recorded on a CD-ROM, which is a video recording medium. The game machine main body 27 has, on a top surface thereof, a lid member 28 which is closed after a CD-ROM is accommodated; an open/close switch 29 for opening and closing the lid member 28; a power supply switch 30 for supplying electric power; a reset switch 31 for returning the operation of the game machine main body 27 to an initial state; and a connection port 32 capable of connecting two manipulation devices.
Connecting a connector 20 of a game machine manipulation device CT1 to this connection port 32 makes it possible to perform interactive communications between the manipulation device CT1 and the game machine main body 27.
The game machine manipulation device CT1, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is formed in the shape of eyeglasses, and has a housing body composed of an upper case 2 and a lower case 3 which can be separated. This housing body is formed at both longitudinal ends with first and second manipulation supports 4, 5 which outwardly protrude just like horns so that a user can grip them with both hands for supporting. In a narrower middle portion of the housing body, a start select unit 6 including switches is provided for use in starting a game, selecting one from games, and so on. Also, first and second manipulation units 7, 8 are formed in a circular shape at horizontally symmetric positions on both sides of the housing body and a plurality of switches are arranged in substantially a central portion of each of the manipulation units 7, 8. Further, third and fourth manipulation units 9, 10 each comprising a plurality of switches, which allows the user to manipulate mainly with the index finger and middle finger, are disposed at horizontally symmetric positions on side wall surfaces in front portions of the housing body.
The start select unit 6 is a group of switches which include a start switch 11 and a select switch 12, both positioned between the first manipulation unit 7 and the second manipulation unit 8. The select switch 12 is provided for selecting the degree of difficulty or the like, for example, when a game is started, while the start switch 11 is a switch for actually starting the game.
The first manipulation unit 7 is structured to have a concavity 13 corresponding to a concave portion formed substantially in a cross shape in a central portion of the circular first manipulation unit 7, which was an end portion of the housing body, and windows 15 formed in the concavity 13 to make four key tops 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d extend therethrough from the inside to the outside. The windows 15 are positioned in conformity with the concavity 13 substantially in a cross shape, such that the heads of the four key tops 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d face each other in four directions.
The second manipulation unit 8 is formed with a concavity 16 corresponding to a concave portion formed substantially in a cross shape in a central portion of the circular second manipulation unit 8. Also, the second manipulation unit 8 has four cylinders 17 at upper, lower, left and right positions, respectively, of the cross-shaped concavity 16, each having an opening of a size that allows each of cylindrical key tops 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d to extend therethrough from the inside to the outside.
The four top keys 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d have readily viewable recognition symbols on their top surfaces, for example, symbols (marks) representative of functions such as ◯, xcex94, xe2x96xa1, xc3x97 or the like to allow the user to readily identify the functions of the respective switches. Also, these key tops 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d and the cylinders 17 are formed with unique protrusions or cut-outs at respective lower end portions thereof such that the key tops cannot be inserted into different cylinders 17 when assembly.
The third and fourth manipulation units 9, 10 are formed to protrude from the wall surfaces of front portions of the first and second manipulation units 7, 8. The third and fourth manipulation units 9, 10 include openings 18 which are two lines of two slits formed through the protruding wall surfaces in parallel, one above the other, and operation support manipulation switches formed by protruding elongated key tops 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d, which substantially fit into the openings 18, from the inside to the outside.
The game machine manipulation device CT1 having the structure as mentioned above is connected to the game machine main body 27, described above with reference to FIG. 1, with a predetermined connector 20. Further, the game machine main body 27 is connected to a monitor such as a television receiver or the like. In general, the user holds the manipulation device with both hands, manipulates manipulation buttons in the first to fourth manipulation units 7, 8, 9, 10 with fingers of both hands to instruct movements of an operation target such as a character or the like on the monitor screen for playing a game.
The game machine manipulation device CT1, having the structure as described above, is adapted to allow the user to manipulate the groups of buttons in the first to fourth manipulation units with fingers to instruct an operation target of a game to move on the screen of a monitor, thus advancing the game. During the play, the user experiences bodily sensation of how the game is advancing, only with visual sense obtained by viewing characters on the monitor screen and with acoustic sense obtained by listening to sounds generated from a speaker of the monitor. However, it is not sufficient to fully satisfy the user with the bodily sensation of the game.
In addition, in the conventional game machine manipulation device CT1, when any of the manipulation buttons in the first to fourth manipulation units 7, 8, 9, 10 is depressed to operate the game machine, data indicative of either ON or OFF is transmitted in accordance with the depression of the button as manipulation data to the game machine main body. With such a game machine manipulation device like CT1 adapted for digital control, it is difficult to provide a fine control such as an analog control.
The present invention has been made in view of the problems mentioned above, and is intended to propose a game apparatus, a game machine manipulation device, a game system, and an interactive communication method for a game apparatus, which are capable of performing an optimal control, when any of various game machine manipulation devices having a variety of functions is connected to the game machine main body, by recognizing functions available from the connected game machine manipulation device by the game machine main body.
To solve the problems mentioned above, in the present invention, a game machine manipulation device has storing means for storing predetermined function information so as to transmit the function information to a game apparatus in response to an information request command from the game apparatus, while a game apparatus retrieves the function information possessed by the game machine manipulation device, selects predetermined function information from the retrieved function information to be set to the game machine manipulation device, thereby making it possible to perform an optimal control for the game machine manipulation device connected to the game apparatus.
Further, in the present invention, the game machine manipulation device has storing means for storing power consumption information of the response means so as to transmit the power consumption to the game apparatus in response to a information request command from the game apparatus, and moreover, the game apparatus transmits response means control data to the game machine manipulation device based on the power consumption information for the response means of the game machine manipulation device, thereby making it possible to perform an optimal control for the response means of the game machine manipulation device connected to the game apparatus.